Dumbledore's longest kept secret
by LemonHater
Summary: Harry Potter has been under the impression for years that the Dursley's are his only family. Little does he know that Dumbledore has been keeping something from Harry. Something big.
1. The Stranger

Disclaimer: i do not in anyway own the characters in this story. all harry potter names belong to j.k. rowling.  
  
author's note- first chapter. i don't like to make the chapters to long so you don't have to worry about starting it and not being able to finish. i'll have more coming every two days or something. feel free to email me about any questions or suggestions.  
  
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A silent, dark figure stalked down the street. The figure was wearing a dark cloak, and was almost invisible in the cloudy night. This character, to whom we shall give the benefit of the doubt and call a "he", looked carefully at the numbers on the houses. Number four, he needed number four. Six.... five... there it was. Number four. As swift as a hawk, he swooped toward the small house on the quiet street.   
  
A street called Privet Drive.  
  
Cautiously, carefully, he crept towards the door. How much he wanted to knock on that door. He didn't have to worry about the idiotic muggles who lived in this here house, they were easy to get past. But there was another inhabitant, a sixteen year-old boy, who lived here as well. He could have apparated of course, if Dumbledore hadn't placed an anti-disapparation charm on 4, privet drive (not that he didn't have good reason). knocking, would have to do for now.   
  
As he waited and no one opened the door,he raised a long wooden wand and whispered silently, "alohomora!" With a click, the door unlocked. He opened it to a room that was dark, but even in the darkness he could tell that this room was sickeningly clean. Everything was spotless. He was not the type that would be welcome in this house.   
  
He found he could not find the stairs in this darkness, so he raised the wand and mouthed the words "lumos!" A stream of light broke the darkness and for the first time we can have some idea of what the stranger looked like.   
  
He had strangely untidy dark brown hair, that looked as if he had not combed it for days. But he had, he combed it quite often. His hair just grew that way. There were wrinkles on his thin face. Wrinkles, from stress and from despair. His life had not been happy the past 17 years.   
  
Now the stranger crept up the stairs, careful to step lightly on each step in case one creaked, and then began to look for the right room.  
  
There were loud snores coming from the first room. Snores which evidently came from a large, grown man. Not this room... search on.   
  
The next room was a bathroom. And then he came to a room that was quite normal, but he knew this was it. This was the room he searched for. Without making a sound he turned the doorknob. The clouds seem to have uncovered the moon, for moonlight was shining through the window and on to the bed, to show the shady outline of a skinny teenage boy.   
  
"Harry..." the stranger breathed. This was the first time he had ever gotten to see the boy in person. He had never been allowed to before. For moments he just stood there, in the presence of the boy of whom he had never met, but he knew so well.   
  
The boy was stirring.   
  
The figure stared for a few seconds.  
  
Then with a swish of a dark cloak, and a rush down the stairs (carefully still, he didn't want to wake anyone else) the figure was gone. He had left.   
  
Which left the boy, Harry Potter by name and fully awake now, to wonder who or what he saw. 


	2. Dumbledore forbids

author's note- i'm not sure whether i should put disclaimers on every chapter but i'll just be on the safe side and i will. thank you everyone for your reviews and special thanks to "certain people" for making me keep the story (you know who you are)  
  
disclaimer- i do not in anyway own any of the harry potter characters or plot. it all belongs to j.k. rowling.  
  
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Harry was confused. Had he imagined something? He thought he had just seen a dark cloak whip out of his doorway. The only person he could think of who would be in a black cloak and hiding in his bedroom was...  
  
But that couldn't be possible. Voldemort couldn't come here. Dumbledore had placed a charm that would not allow Voldemort at his aunt and uncle's house.   
  
That wasn't true, he thought. Dumbledore had said Voldemort could not touch him while he was at his relatives place. He never mentioned that Voldemort could not come to the house.  
  
Harry shivered. He lay back in bed. In the morning he would write to Dumbledore. It could wait until then. No need to wake him up so early. He fell into an uneasy sleep.  
  
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Dumbledore, in fact, was not asleep.   
  
There was a man sitting across from him at a table in a bar far away. A man with untidy dark brown hair with gray hairs, and a thin face.  
  
"We have discussed this many times over, Timothy," Dumbledore sighed, "you may not visit the boy. It would be to risky."  
  
"I still don't see why he cannot know. He's old enough by now. And he has now lost every parent-figure he has ever had," the man called Timothy argued, "he needs someone like me in his life..." He trailed off, looking tired.  
  
"I have told you before, Harry must stay at his aunt and uncle's house. If he knew you existed and that you might be an option, we would never be able to keep him there. That is just one of the reasons. There are countless others in which i have already discussed with you. He can not know."  
  
"But he's sixteen already!" Tim chimed in, "he can handle the knowledge. He is responsible enough to stay at his aunt and uncle's house."  
  
"Imagine what this news would mean to Voldemort." (Tim flinched) "He has already reached so far into the Harry's mind that he can control his movements, his thoughts. The knowledge that you are still alive would not stay a secret. And that knowledge would be deadly."  
  
Tim could not think of an excuse for that one. It was perfectly true. He looked at the table.  
  
Dumbledore continued. "I think you know perfectly well that you should not have gone to Privet drive this evening, so I will not waste my breath telling you that you were wrong. And if, as you say, the boy did see you, we can only hope he did not recognize you, even if it has been 15 years. He will no doubt send an owl regarding you if he did. You must have given him quite a shock, seeing as it is widely known that Voldemort is after him."  
  
Tim kept on looking down. Dumbledore was right. He was always right. He should not have gone. He could not help it. He needed Harry as much as Harry would have needed him (if Harry had known he was alive). He was sure of it.   
  
"Now that it is clear, I believe that is all for today. Just remember Timothy, the boy can not know." Dumbledore gazed at the man before him, and when Tim looked into those twinkling blue eyes, he was overwhelmed with complete trust. He nodded, and got up.   
  
As he left the bar, he happened to pass the bartender. As the bartender looked up, he called out,  
  
"bye Mr. Potter."  
  
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Next chapter most likely to be a lot more about Timothy Potter. I know that after this not-very-revealing chapter everyone must have many questions. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! 


	3. Timothy's Life

author's note- this is dedicated to my love MK of whom i know will laugh when i use "alas" in this fic.  
  
disclaimer- I do not own in any way the Harry Potter names or Plot. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.  
  
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Timothy Potter grew up in a wizarding family. He had two parents who treated him fairly and with amazing kindness. He had one younger brother named James as well. When Tim was eleven years old he received a letter saying that he had been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of course this was inevitable, but his parents were thrilled none the less.   
  
He went back to Hogwarts each year for seven years. He had many friends and was an extremely skilled wizard. He did unbelievably well in all his classes and he liked all of his teachers.  
  
Tim had a very happy childhood.  
  
After he left Hogwarts, he wanted to work for the Ministry of Magic. Seeing as his grades were all perfect he had no trouble being accepted.   
  
Timothy was still happy.  
  
All the while he was at school, there had been a dark danger. He was protected from it at school but he knew it existed. It was Lord Voldemort.   
  
Tim was never affected by him though. His family was untouched as were the families of his friends. But after he left school, the reality hit him hard. Lord Voldemort was real, active, and extremely dangerous.   
  
A few years after his little brother James left school, he got married. His wife, Lily, was very good friends with Tim. They had a little boy named Harry who Tim absolutely adored.  
  
When it was known that Voldemort was after Harry, James and his family were to go into hiding. Timothy wanted to be secret keeper but Dumbledore said it would have been to obvious. Timothy was furious.  
  
Alas, that was what Dumbledore did in Tim's life. Kept him away.  
  
So when Voldemort killed James and Lily and Harry survived, Timothy offered right away to take the child. Dumbledore declared that Harry must stay with Lily's relatives. James was disgusted. He had met those muggles on one occasion and they were horrible. Always sniffing and turning their noses up at every little thing to do with Lily and her family.  
  
But that was what Dumbledore did. Shut Timothy out.   
  
And now, 15 years later, Tim's only nephew, Harry Potter, was sixteen, and had never met him. Harry didn't even know he existed.   
  
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